CIRCLES USA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This year, we’re pleased to spotlight our four extraordinary Circles USA Board members: the governance team who oversees CUSA operations, advises on strategic directions, and contributes to specific projects that enhance what CUSA has to offer to its community of practice.

Joan Kuriansky

Board Chair and Former Executive Director of Wider Opportunities for Women (Washington, DC)

“I am a Circles Board member because I believe its approach to ending poverty is unique—the best in the field of anti-poverty work. We begin on a one-to-one level in building individual families’ economic well-being. And we work at a community level, building allies and, importantly, drawing on these experiences and relationships to make systemic long-term change that will reduce barriers for other families.”

President of Center for Community Futures (Berkeley, CA)

“I am a Circles USA Board member because I think most ‘programs’ focus too much on giving people stuff or trying to change individual behaviors . . . . Circles focuses attention on social systems. This includes building social capital by creating bridging and bonding relationships among individuals, and by changing the opportunity structure through Big View and Poverty Alleviation Systems.”

Director of Tsuha Foundation (San Diego, CA)

“I’ve been a Circles USA Board member since December 2018 because I wholeheartedly believe in its mission and want to contribute my time and resources to helping Circles grow. I believe that when people come together across income lines in friendship and support, both the individuals and their communities are positively transformed.”

Christy

“I am a Circles USA Board member because I believe deeply in the power and agency of those closest to social challenges and issues to transform them. The Circles model, and the leadership that supports it, inspire me every day to keep engaging in the difficult work of social transformation; and I’m both proud and humbled to be a part of the Circles mission of building community to end poverty.”